Fruit-box press.



G. D. PARKER.

FRUIT BOX PRESS.

APPLIOATIQN FILED s131214, 1910.

Patented Feb. 28,1911.

2 BHEETS-BHEETI.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE GEORGE D. PARKER, OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA.

FRUIT-BOX PRESS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 28, 1911.

Application :tiled September 14, 1910. Serial No. 581,961.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE D. PARKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Riverside, in the county of Riverside and State of California, have invented' certain new and useful Improvements in Fruit-Box Presses, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

In packing oranges or other fruit in boxes for shipment it is essential that the box be so well lled that movement of the contents within the box will not usually occur, and at the same time the pressure applied should not injure the fruit. Properly, the fruit should primarily project from the box and be slowly'pressed down by the cover so that it may have time to yieldv and adjust itself in all parts of the box. The pressure thus applied may be quite'large without danger of injury to the fruit, while if it be very suddenly applied the upper layer of fruit will be injured because there is not timefor that below to adjust itself and gradually yield by slight distortion and otherwise, The best results' require that the whole cover should ,be pressed down at once forvif one piece be applied at a time, the fruit will be projected from the uncovered part and no moderate pressure can then press it back and4 distribute the force evenly through the mass under that part` of the cover already secured.

It is sometimes dificult to press the cover down and hold it securely until it is nailed, and it is always desirable to hold thecover only along or near the vertical outer and par tition walls of the box, so that the .intermediate p'ortions of the thi top and bottom boards may spring-outward, at least temporarily, increasing the capacity of the box and through the elastic force of, the sprung boards urging the fruit vto yield and adjust itself slowly after the boards are nailed, and of course compensating any yielding and leaving the contents 4secure against shifting even after the greatest yielding which is likely to occur.

To provide a press having all the advantages and avoiding all the evils suggested is thev general object of this invention.

In my apparatus provision is made for pressing the cover down with gradually increasing power, preventing any return movement until the device is released intention- Y ally, allowing the bex to rock for equalizing pressure on its two ends, and for securing various minor desirable ends, as will appear.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a central, transverse vertical section of the devices. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the' same devices, a pressing member bein broken away. Fig. 3 is a partial sectiona elevation looking 1n the direction of the arrows of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of a lever locking device. Fig. 5 is a detail view of a lever and its shifting pivot devices, seen also in Fig. 1.

In these views, A represents the main frame or table supporting the working arts, and B a rectangular box-supporting rame of 4approximately the same dimensions as the bottoms of the boxes to be used, mounted in the top of the table to rock upon a central axis perpendicular to the front of the machine, the pivoting as shown in this instance being upon a rod B', Figs. 1 and 3. The pivoted frame projects a little above the plane of the top of the table, and over both extends a thin sheet C of metalV which is secured to the pivoted frame by screws C and depressed within' the members of that frame, as 'seen at C, Fig. 3 so that when a box is placed in proper position thereon it will be supported only along the lines of its vertical walls. Because the pivoted frame projects above the plane of the table, the metal sheet does not prevent the slight rocking of the frame. A bar l) slides in a vertical way formed in a'member A of the table and is provided at its upper end with forwardly extending, laterally divergent arms D bearing at their free ends arallel bars D2 above andparallel to the en members of the piv- `oted frame and normally at a little more than the height of abox above the same.l To the lower end of the bar D are pivotally attached bent links E, the opposite ends of which are pivoted to the central part of a foot lever F. The forward end of the latter lever lies at the front of the table in positionl to receive pressure from the foot of an operator, while its' rear portion is upwardly inclined and provided with fulcrum rollers F at some distancefrom its end and a little in the rear of the lower end of the lever E. These rollers may rise and fall and are guided in cam-like ways in members F2 lixed tothe main frame.

The rear end of the lever is pivoted to the lower ends of links G themselves pivoted spring yielding, and their'lower foot and abovey to a projection on the main frame, these links and the upwardly inclined por-y tion of the lever forming the-members of a toggle. In front of the pivotal or fulcrum rollers, 'the lever is normally held' up. or yieldingly supported vby a spring I. When the front end of the lever is'depressed the rollers are revented fromAmoving-rearward by the walls of the ways in which they 11e and the links E are drawn downward, the end is swung rearward as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and at the'same time the rear endo the lever and links G are .swung forward, straightening the toggle and forcing the rollers downward in the ways and drawing the bar D downwardvwith very great force. Thus the force'applied by the foot is at -first applied directly to drawing down the pressing. member but as the latter nears its lowest v point, is applied almost wholly to stralghten- -ing the toggle, or in other words, at the last the pressure applied is greatly increased. Practically, if a box be placed upon the table under the ba'rsD2 its cover is pressed down by slow andgentle pressure applied by the as it approaches th'e walls of the g box the movement becomes still slower but the power is'very greatly increased, so that no great eiiort is required to bring the cover .into contact with the box walls, ready for The front portio'n'oi:` the lever lies alon .sidea vertical member of leg of the maln frame and toit is'iixed a loop H passing 4.around that member and forming therewith upon the side opposite the main portionof the lever a downwardlyy converging lrecess H in which fits a roller- IfIz, pivotally suspended from the rear arm of a short lever Ha, the front end of which lies in position to be readily depressed by the foot which forces down the lever F. This roller offers no resistancetot the descent of the latter lever but prevents any return movement so long as gravity is permitted to hold it down in the wedgelike recess, but whenever ressure is applied u on the outer end o the ..short 'lever, it is -ited and the lever F is the foot permits.

.approximately parallel freed from-its locking and may be returned to normal position by thespring I 'whenever To aid in adjusting theboxe's accurately below the pressing evice, a guide-bar J in general direction tothe front .of the table, is placed in front of the frame member Af' and secured to rods J extending rearwardly through said member andyieldin ly held4 by sprin J2.

ly'inclined en Jy-So that a boxy either ldirectly or. obliquely vis urged into exact position.

It' is to be noted that if the cover be 'a little higher at one fulcrum below said end than at the other, the box automatically frame and thus at the outset the pressure is distributed.

The thin metal sheet C might be omitted without rendering the apparatus inoperative, but its presence is highly desirable since it allows boxes to be pushed in any direction over the table with no possibility of catching and thus facilitates rapid work.

It is obvious that the thin bottom and top boards are held only alon and that `the .springing o parts temporarily increases the ca acity ofthe box, and that the elastic force o the boards compensates for any permanent yielding or adjustment of the fruit after the box is nailed, and thus insures its being held properly at all times.

What I claim is:

l. In a box press, the combination with a box support and al vertically guided, cover pressing member, said member to force it downward, as the toggle straightens and means whereby force applied by the operator tends to straighten said toggle. I Y

2. In a box press, the combination with the intermediate a box support and 'a cover pressing member arranged to move toward the same, of a foot lever having a guided movable fulcrum between its ends,.a` link pivotally connecting said member to said .lever at oneside of its ,fulcrum, a link pivotally connecting the op-v posite end of the` lever to a fixed support andforming with it a toggle adapted to force the ulcrum downward as the lever swings. l,

3. Ina box press, a coverv pressing member, a foot lever having a guided movable membenlinks ivoted to said lever upon opposite sides of its ful- Crumand connected respectively to a. xed support and said member. ,l

4. In a box pressing member, a lever having below said member a guided downwardly movable fulcrum, links pivoted to said lever on opposite sides of the fulcrum, a-respectively, .and a spring yieldingly' resisting downwardmove- .ment of the link connected to said member.

5. The combination. With the supporting table andan open box supporting frame pivoted therein, of a metal sheet extending over the table vand frame and depressed between the pivoted frame members, and a cover pressing device adapted to press the Vcover along lines parallel to and' near its ends.

6. The, combination with a table, a box supporting frame pivoted therein and a. metal sheet covering the table and frame, of a vertical pressing member sliding in ways in the frame and adapted to press the box cover near its ends, a bent foot lever having of a toggle connected to.

press, a vertically movable box rocks the supporting the nailing lines between its ends a downwardly `movable fulcrum in-cam-like ways, a spring resist' the de ression of thelever by the foot, links pivota 1yv connecting the rear end of the lever to a fixed support, links connecting sald member to said lever at a",k point on the opposite side ofthe fulcrum, and automatic the depressed lever;

7. In a. box press, the combination with a, box sup orting table, and a cover pressing means for preventing return `movement of device s iding vertically in a way therein,

of a lever having an inclined' portion,` pi-0L videdfwith a movable fnlcrum, an opposltely straightens.

inclined link'eonnecting the end of said inclined` portion with the table and forming with 'that portion a toggle for. depressing the fulcrum, and a link connecting said ldevice with the lever at a.` point which swings a proximatelj7 into line with the upper end o? the link and the fulcrum when the In testimony whereof Il afimy-signature in presence of. two witnesses.

. GEORGE nePAnKERJ l Witnesses l D. W. LEWIS, RENA E. SMITH.

toggle 

